threnody

threnody [ˈθrɛnədi] n.

1.) A song of lamentation; specifically a lament for the dead, a dirge.

Etymology: adaptation of Greek θρηνῳδία, dirge, from θρῆνος, threne + ᾠδή, song.

"Electra attains twofold intensity by its portrayal of grief and then intrigue. The first half of the action reviews Electra's compulsive threnody. It is not so much that mourning becomes Electra as it is that Electra becomes mourning: she apologizes to the chorus for her undending refrains

Dear women! I am ashamed to have you think
my laments are too many, my grief too much;
but since I cannot help it, please forgive me."

(Sophocles: King Oedipus, David R. Slavitt and Palmer Bovie (eds.), 1999).

(Electra at the Tomb of Agamemnon, Frederic Leighton, 1869)